Updated

Updated · NBC News · Oct 16

Vatican Releases First Post-Surgery Images of Pope Leo XIV as 71-Year-Old Plans Sunday Appearance

Updated

Updated · NBC News · Oct 16

Vatican Releases First Post-Surgery Images of Pope Leo XIV as 71-Year-Old Plans Sunday Appearance

Q: Did the Pope's hospital-bed plea to Putin actually secure a ceasefire and civilian evacuation in Ukraine's Oleshky?

No. The available reporting shows Pope Leo XIV urged Vladimir Putin to allow a ceasefire in Oleshky for humanitarian aid and civilian evacuation, but there is no evidence that the appeal actually secured either outcome. The Vatican said Leo, speaking from Gemelli Hospital, asked for a ceasefire to permit food and medical deliveries and the “voluntary and safe evacuation” of civilians. The Kremlin’s response, as cited by Reuters and other outlets, was that Putin supported a Vatican initiative to help deliver supplies and was ready to cooperate. It said there was agreement to cooperate on creating conditions for safety and vital supplies. That falls short of confirmation that a ceasefire was implemented on the ground. None of the material provided reports an actual truce taking effect in Oleshky, civilians being evacuated, or aid corridors opening as a direct result of the call. The strongest verified takeaway is that the pope’s intervention produced a stated Russian willingness to cooperate with Vatican humanitarian efforts. It did not, based on the evidence here, produce a confirmed ceasefire or completed civilian evacuation. So the hospital-bed plea appears to have had diplomatic and humanitarian signaling value, but not a demonstrable, verified breakthrough in Oleshky at the time of reporting.

3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Oct 16

First images since Pope Leo XIV’s Oct. 13 lung surgery showed him standing at an altar in Gemelli hospital, celebrating Mass as doctors reported “continued improvement.”
Medical updates said the 71-year-old can carry out normal daily activities completely on his own after the lower lobe of his right lung was removed and tests confirmed adenocarcinoma.
Sunday is set for his first public appearance, with Vatican officials preparing for the traditional noontime Angelus from the hospital, though the exact format and location remain unclear.
Nov. 6-17 travel plans to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru also appeared to stay on track after the Vatican published the media list for the trip, even as plans could still change.
Doctors are still awaiting molecular and genetic test results to determine whether the cancer has spread and whether further treatment will be needed, leaving questions over any adjustment to his pontificate.